Forest of the Gods
by ShadowDraconous
Summary: Ranma leaves for a training trip but gets detoured along the way. Where is he now? Crossover Ranma X MononokeHime NEW UPDATE 12605!
1. Ranma goes on a training trip

Disclaimer: I own none of these characters. I'm just a poor boy, I need no sympathy, because it's easy come, easy go, little high little low. cough cough ahem. As I was saying. I own none of these characters..... Thank you.  
  
FOREST OF THE GODS  
  
Chapter 1: Ranma goes on a training trip  
  
"Man, you'd think after I saved her life from Saffron that she'd be nicer or maybe trust me a little bit." grumbled our pigtailed martial artist. "But nooooo, everything just has to be my fault. It's not like I invited everyone to the wedding."  
  
Ranma has now been for a few days now. After finally getting tired of the chaos in Nerima, he decided to go on a training trip to get away for a while. He had this planned surprisingly well. Surprisingly, cause his plan to get them off his trail is actually working.

* * *

  
Tendo-Ke  
  
As Kasumi was getting ready to get breakfast started, she noticed a note on the table.  
  
Going on training trip to China, don't know when I'll be back.  
Ranma  
  
She read to herself. But of course in this house, if it's about Ranma, the walls have amplifiers.  
  
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN HE'S GONE TO CHINA TO TRAIN?!?!" bellowed one Genma Saotome.  
  
"THE SCHOOLS WILL NEVER BE JOINED!!" sobbed the Tendo patriarch.  
  
"I BET THAT PERVERT WENT OFF WITH THAT CHINESE BIMBO OF HIS!" screamed an irate Tomboy.  
  
"Don't blame him in the least. Wish he could've told me so I could go though, it'd be worth it to get out of here." stated a calm Nabiki.  
  
"Here here." Kasumi agreed with Nabiki.  
  
Nabiki would normally have fumed about the loss of money this would cause, but after the failed wedding she felt something she hadn't felt in a long time. GUILT. She suddenly felt bad for all the pain and suffering that the youngest Saotome had to go through, some of which she herself caused. Since then, she has been nicer to the lad, and even gotten closer to him. They had become... dare she say it... FRIENDS!!!!   
  
While this had been going on, the eldest Tendo had been talking more and more with Ranma and could see that he was close to his breaking point. She had hoped that after the wedding everything would calm down, but alas it was not to be. She could do nothing but watch as it got worse and worse in a downward spiral.  
  
Because of these events, two people in this house had the same thought on their minds.  
'I hope wherever you go, you will be happy Ranma-kun'  
  
CRASH  
  
'sigh' "I wonder how much she's going to cost me this time." grumbled Nabiki  
  
'I just really wish he would have taken me with him' came from the same two minds.... creepy

  


* * *


	2. More curses

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these. I'm poor so don't go trying to get money out of me.  
  
Forest of the Gods  
  
Chapter 2: More curses  
  
Somewhere  
  
After traveling another day after seeing the tree, he suddenly heard the sound of a vast amount of destruction in the forest.  
  
'Hmmm, maybe a good fight.'  
  
And so our hero went off to ward off whatever evil may come.  


* * *

  
Watchtower near a village  
  
A teenage boy addresses an old man sitting in the tower while watching the forest line.  
  
"Something's coming...... Jii-ji, what can it be?"  
  
"I don't know. It's not human." replied the old man.  
  
"Back at the village, Hii-sama is calling for everyone to return."  
  
"It comes...... It's a Tatari-gami!"  
  
"Tatari-gami?! Yakkuru, run!!"  
(a/n: if you can't guess now, you really need to watch more anime.)  
  
The Tatari-gami ("Curse God") knocks down the watchtower. The teen grabs 'Jii-ji' and leaps with him into the nearest treetop.  
  
"It's headed towards the village!!  
It's going to attack!" exclaims the boy.  
  
"Ashitaka, don't touch the Tatari-gami. You'll be cursed if you do!!" he warns the boy now known as Ashitaka.  
  
"Yakkuru!"  
  
Ashitaka rides Yakkuru in front of the Tatari-gami.  
  
"Calm! Calm down! Surely you are to all appearances a mountain god of name, but why do you rampage like this?"  
  
The Tatari-gami sees the three girls, and turns towards them.  
  
"Monster!" one girl yells.  
  
"To the village!" yells another.  
  
"Stop! Why do you attack our village?! Stop it! Calm down!" Ashitaka pleaded  
  
One girl slips and falls while draws her sword and prepares to defend them.  
  
"Hold on!!" Ashitaka yells as he draws an arrow into his bow.   
  
Seeing that the girls are in danger, Ashitaka shoots an arrow through one of the Tatari-gami's red "eyes." The monster stops; Ashitaka attempts to keep himself and Yakkuru between the monster and the village while the girls flee  
  
"Hurry!" he yells to the girls  
  
Suddenly the Tatari-gami's tentacles explode into action. Although Yakkuru gallops away from the Tatari-gami, Ashitaka's right arm is about to get caught by the Tatari-gami's black feelers/snakes.   
  
Just as the tentacle was about to grab his arm the Tatari-gami is struck in the side by a ball of light that explodes and causes it to lurch to one side.   
  
He looks towards the source of the light and sees a young lad no older than he running at them while glowing a bright blue.  
  
"Ha, take that demon!" Shouted the new boy.  
  
As he gets closer Ashitaka can make out more of him. He sees a very fit person with strange looking clothing and... a pigtail? Yep our boy Ranma has come to town.  


* * *


	3. What a weirdo

Disclaimer: SOB i don't own them OK?!? I'm poor! Just leave me alone! goes off to sulk  
  
FOREST OF THE GODS  
  
Chapter 3 - What a weirdo  
  
A lone figure was traveling on a magnificent red elk. The direction was due west. As he was traveling, he thought back to what has happened since he left home.  
  
'Ok, the strange things started happening after I made the offering to that Sakura tree. First the forest seemed younger, then I notice that I'm a lot calmer than normal. After that I end up fighting a demon... wish they told me not to touch it though, would've gone straight to the Kijin Raishu Dan instead of punching it...'  
  
Ah yes, hind site is always twenty/twenty.  
  
'I'm just glad she used warm water, I had a hard enough time convincing them I was human as it was.' He then looks down to his waist where a sword sat. 'Heck, I even took the sword, bow, and arrows without much fuss. I wonder how else I'm changing. Sure was nice of them to give me some supplies seeing as most of my food was destroyed during the fight with the demon.'  
  
As he was thinking back on this, he noticed a group of villagers, including a strange-looking Buddhist priest or monk, being attacked by a group of Samurai and soldiers.  
  
"A battle?" He whispered.  
  
As he said this the soldiers killed a woman and child.  
  
"No, a massacre."  
  
He then covered his face with the mask that the Emishi tribe gave him, and overheard some of the soldiers.  
  
"Where are you going? Come back here you coward."  
  
"They're unarmed, move in!!"  
  
"Up on the hill, it's a warrior!"  
  
"Good, his head is mine."  
  
Hearing this Yakurru broke into a run as arrows narrowly missed them both. As they were running, he notched an arrow in his bow and saw a soldier about to slaughter a woman.  
  
"You stop!" he called out.  
  
The soldier paid him no mind and was about to strike. Seeing this Ranma drew back the arrow and aimed for the man. As he was about to let it loose his arm started to bulge and jiggle causing him to wince. He took careful aim and released his arrow. As it hit the man in the arm it cut through both arms and slices them clean off where they're now hanging from the tree next to him.  
  
"My arm, what's happening to me?" he asks in wonder.  
  
"Hurry, stop him before he gets away." another soldier yells.  
  
He looked to where the yell came from only to barely dodge an arrow headed for him.  
  
"Get away nothing. I'm putting a stop to this. Yakurru, go to the forest and wait for me there. I have to stop this."  
  
After saying this he proceeded to jump off his mount and run along side for a few seconds before veering off and engaging the soldiers.  
  
The soldiers never knew what hit them. One moment they were slaughtering a town and the next they were being driven back. Leaving the maimed to fight for themselves, the healthy soldiers with brains ran for the hills screaming about a pigtailed demon.  
  
Ranma himself was trying his best not to seriously mutilate anybody, but for some reason was having problems controlling his strength. Because of this he refrained from using any special moves. He was afraid of what even a Hyru Shoten Ha might do with how his strength was acting up.  
  
'What's wrong with me?' he thought to himself.  
  
Seeing that the last of the soldiers were leaving and the rest were unconscious, he ran in the direction Yakurru fled to.  
  
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX  
  
Ranma was sitting by a small waterfall (more of a trickle really) with Yakurru by his side while washing his arm off. You can see boulders behind him with the mask, coat, and bow that the Emishi gave him on the ground behind him. He pulls his arm out from the water and inspects it.  
  
"The mark is getting bigger."  
  
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX  
  
Later, at a town market, the strange monk from the village battle was eating at a market booth. You could see the town's people walking by with their supplies needed for whatever it is they do. One had a bundle of wood on her head while another is carrying a couple of buckets of water on a pole across his shoulder. As the monk was eating the villagers were noticing a new comer.  
  
"Well look over there."  
  
"Who's that?"  
  
"Never seen him before."  
  
The monk took the bowl away from his mouth and looked at the vendor with a sort of bored expression.  
  
"You're selling super donkey piss."  
  
The vendor paid him no heed as she was watching the newcomer with all her attention. As the monk noticed this he turned to see what has her so enraptured. He turned to see a crowd around one of the other vendor's stalls.  
  
"Mommy look!"  
  
The monk caught a brief glance at the person that the crowd was surrounding and noticed a red hooded figure with a red elk.  
  
"There he is now." He said and then finished the rest of his food hurriedly before putting his bowl in his shirt.  
  
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX  
  
The rice vendor puts a cup of rice into Ranma's pouch while the crowd looks on intently. After attaching the pouch to his belt he hands the vendor something.  
  
"Will this be enough?"  
  
The vendor looks at what he gave her and puts her hand back out.  
  
"Hey there what are you trying to pull, this isn't money."  
  
We see what is in her hand. It appears to be a few pieces of yen.  
  
"Oh sorry, forgot where I was." Ranma replied as he handed her a little piece of gold. "Is this better."  
  
The vendor looks at the new item he gave her and holds her hand out once more.  
  
"Better try again or give me back my rice ya little thief."  
  
Ranma was getting better about his temper but didn't like being called a thief. He worked too hard to be opposite of his father to just sit there while some vendor from a small town called him a thief. He was just about to mouth off to her when the monk came by.  
  
"Excuse me, but might I inspect that?" he said while approaching the vendor.  
  
The monk then took the gold piece from the lady and looked at it closely.  
  
His expression then turned to one of surprise.  
  
"My god! Why this is a lump of pure gold you silly woman."  
  
The woman not knowing what he was talking about took slight offense to this and got an agitated look to her. She then heared a few gasps and whats from the crowd.  
  
"But if it's money you want, I'll pay for the rice and take this nugget off your hands."  
  
As the crowd got closer to see the gold the monk straightened up and called out in a loud voice.  
  
"My good people, is there a money changer here that can tell us how much this is worth?" He paused for a moment. "No, alright now I'm just a monk but I'd say three bags of rice at least."  
  
The crowd gasped.  
  
"That's right, maybe even more."  
  
When he said this Ranma then turned away and started to walk off with Yakurru as the crowd watched and murmured.  
  
The monk noticed this and turned to him. "Hey wait a minute, where are you going?" As the monk too began to walk away the vendor jumped at him to grab the gold back.  
  
"Where are you going, give me my gold!" she said with a little desperation in her voice.  
  
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX  
  
Ranma was walking with Yakurru on a trail at the town's edge when the monk came running up behind him.  
  
"Hey what's your hurry? You can't just rush off now, we've only just met." He said as he caught up with him. "Well, you've got your rice and everything's fine." The monk said while looking slightly up to him. "You're a man of few words, I understand. Well don't you even think of thanking me it was my pleasure. In fact I should be thanking you really. You see, I was caught in that battle. I saw what you did to those samurai, you fight like a demon. Where'd you learn to fight like that?"  
  
Ranma said nothing and turned his head towards the monk but his eyes took a quick glance behind him. There were three men behind them. At least one had a sword and another had a bow. The monk's expression turned almost mischievous.  
  
"I see you noticed we're being followed. That's what we get for waiving that gold nugget around. They'll wait till we're asleep and then slit our throats. What do you say we give them a demonstration of how fast we can run huh?"  
  
After saying this the monk took off running. Ranma just shrugged and started running with Yakurru right behind him. The monk was a little surprised when Ranma and Yakurru passed him up easily. The men that were following ran for a few steps before seeing Ranma and the monk run out of sight. As they notice this they stop and their shoulder slump.  
  
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX  
  
The monk is stirring a pot of something (does anybody know what that is?) over a campfire.  
  
"So, the demon monster turned out to be a giant boar." He said.  
  
Around the fire we see that the monk has his umbrella open to shield him from nothing. Ranma is sitting on the other side of the campfire without his coat and hood while Yakurru is behind him.  
  
"I followed its trail westward through the mountains to where those samurai were attacking those villagers… but then"  
  
The monk cut him off. "You lost it, that's life. See this place here? When I came here last, this place was a lovely little village. But then there must have been a flood, a landslide, or a fire. The only sure thing is that everybody is dead. These days there are angry ghosts all around us. Dead from wars, sickness, starvation, and nobody cares." As he said this he pulled out a bowl and filled it with whatever was in the pot. "So you say you are under a curse? Well so what? So is the whole damned world." He then blows on the food and tastes it. "Delicious."  
  
"I was wrong to fight in that village. Many men are dead and injured because of me." Ranma said.  
  
"Samurai thugs, you win some you lose some." The monk replied back. "Here, hand me your bowl. My point is everybody dies boy. Some now, some later." Ranma reaches in his pack and hands him his bowl. "From brothel girl to emperor." The monk inspects the bowl for a minute. "Huh, I've heard them say that he emperor has promised and entire hill of gold to anyone who can help him live forever. Beautiful bowl, I've seen one other like it." He hands it back to Ranma and grabs his own. "Have you ever heard of the Emishi people? They were said to ride red elks. They also use stone arrowheads, just like you." They both pause to eat a little.  
  
'Oh god, if I travel anymore with this guy I'm cooking. He's as bad as Pops.' Ranma thought to himself while eating.'  
  
The monk finished his bowl and started refilling it. "Of course they were wiped out five hundred years ago. Don't worry, I won't tell anyone where you're from. Anyway, I've got much bigger fish to fry."  
  
Ranma pulls something out of his pouch and holds it up. It's a misshaped iron ball. "Have you ever come across something like this before?" Ranma of course new it was a bullet, but had never seen one so crudely made.  
  
The monk looked at it and took it with his chopsticks to get a closer look. "Never have."  
  
"It came from the giant boar. It was inside him, and I'm sure that it was that little ball of iron that killed him." The monk hands it back to him and eats a little more.  
  
a/n: does anybody else see a problem with this? I haven't seen anybody clean off the thing and it was inside the demon-god as it rotted…. Eeeeew. I would've gotten new chopsticks.  
  
They sit in silence a moment while the monk thinks. "There a place high in the forest near here where the forest spirit dwells and it's a very dangerous place for humans. To enter there is certain death."  
  
"The spirit of the forest?"  
  
"I've been told that the beasts there were all giants, just like they were during the dawn of time."  
  
'Sounds like I'll be going to Ryugenzawa after all.'  
  
They monk refills his bowl again while Ranma just works on finishing his first.  
  
'Definitely not letting this guy cook again…..'  
  
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX  
  
The next day the sun was shining brightly and we see Ranma in full gear and Yakurru starting towards a trail. Ranma pauses and looks back. With a bow he then turned back to the trail and starts to walk off. 'What a weirdo'  
  
Back at the campsite the monk looks asleep but opens his eyes. "See you there my friend." He said before snuggling back to his pillow  
  
a/n:  
  
Well this seems like a good place to end this one. In the next chapter we have Iboshi and Iron town.  
  
I liked that donkey piss line from the English version better than the script. I notice I like the movie's lines better than most of the script itself. Once he gets to town I figure it will change more especially since I plan on having some more people show up. Does that monk every shut up?!?!  
  
ok, for matchups, eboshi is too old. And I was thinking a bro/sis relationship for san. Maybe I'll bring someone from the Emishi people or from Nerima. Of course I could always do another crossover… isn't Kagome from Inuyasha in this time period? Could always do something else too… Maybe a childhood friend that found a magical artifact and accidentally got sent back in time.  
  
Alex, he did start off with a mouko tokabisha. That's what the ball of light that exploded on the demon was. And padding can do only so much against a couple of hundred punches in a second.  
  
19 


	4. The Forest

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters. I'm poor. Leave me alone.

Note: Since FFnet won't let us use the normal scene breaks, I will be using random letters.

FOREST OF THE GODS

Chapter 4 – The forest

Ranma and Yakurru were walking towards the forest in the distance when they heard a booming sound.

"Is that thunder?" He asks Yakurru as he looks around, "I don't see any clouds."

He shrugged as they started walking again.

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

Ranma was crossing a river at the bottom of a ravine when he found two wounded men.

"He's still breathing" Ranma said as he gathered the men in a small clearing near Yakurru. "Hold on."

Ranma's senses then tell him that someone or something was approaching their location so he took cover and watched from behind some bushes. He saw a huge white wolf on the other side of the river. A girl was attending to the wolf's wound by sucking out the blood. He shouted out to them as two more wolves came out of the forest.

"My name is Ranma. I came here from faraway lands. Are you the gods I have heard inhabit the forest of the Shishi-gami?"

The girl gave him a cold stare as the wolves started to head back into the forest. Just before she entered the brush, she looked back to him.

"Leave!!" is all she said to him as she headed into the forest.

"Yakurru, the large wolf looked injured. I'm going to see if I can help, stay here and watch these two." The Elk nodded and watched as Ranma leapt over the river and ran into the forest. 'I can't believe I haven't changed yet.'

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

The wolves and the girl stop as Ranma caught up to them in the forest.

"Please, I mean you no harm." He says as he spreads his arms with his palms facing the group. "I noticed you were injured, I want to help."

"Yeah right _human_." The girl said in disdain. "You only want to help the wound kill her!"

"No, please! I'm a traveling martial artist and have dealt with bullet wounds before on my oyaji. You are gods of the forest are you not? You should know of auras and ki. Read my aura and you'll see that I'm telling you the truth."

The largest wolf then approached him.

"You smell different than other humans, more like the forest. Very well, but know this, if your aura reads that you are lying I will bite your head off." She said as she closed her eyes.

As she opened her eyes they were glowing softly. She gazed at the young man in front of her for a few moments before her gaze softened and she closed her eyes again. When she opened them the glow was gone, but she looked fondly at Ranma.

"Very well boy, I see that you are pure of heart. You have also been through so much at such a young age, you will have to tell us about it sometime." She then looked towards her companions. "Let him do his work, do not harm him."

"Mother you mustn't trust him, he's a human!"

"Quiet San! I have looked into his very soul and see that he is one to be trusted. He is not like the other humans."

San, as the girl was now known, looked back with shock before she walked to the other side of the clearing while grumbling about "stinking humans."

'So her name is San.' Ranma thought to himself. "Thank you for your confidence. My name is Ranma, Saotome Ranma." He said with a bow.

"And I am Moro of the wolf tribe and these are my cubs."

"Pleasure to meet you. May I?" he asked pointing to the wound.

Moro then nodded and lay down on her side. So he could reach it easier. As he parted the fur he could see the wound clearly, and could tell that it was a deep wound. He then placed his hand on the wound and used his ki to sense how far the bullet is and what it is made of.

"Hmmm, this is a crudely made bullet, more of a large pellet that is made mostly of iron. If I make a small incision to expand the wound slightly I could use a trick I've been working on to control my opponents weapons. I use my ki to act as a directional magnet. I can use this to pull the ball out. Luckily it didn't hit any organs or major arteries. You were lucky it's just sitting in your breast. But the bleeding from the wound would have killed you eventually if left untreated since the bleeding hasn't stopped yet. Here, this will help with the pain."

He then hit a series of pressure points around the wound.

"I have blocked your ki passageways to the wound so you shouldn't feel much but a slight pressure when I proceed."

"Thank you." Moro replied as she sighed in relief.

Her cubs were watching all this in fascination and cautiousness. They were ready to attack him at the first sign of wrong doings.

He took a knife out of nowhere and pointed a finger at it. The wolves and san were wondering what he was doing when his finger started to glow. The glow extended to the knife, which then proceeded to glow red hot.

"The heat sanitizes the knife and will stop the bleeding as well."

He then made two small cuts on either side of the wound before returning the knife back to where ever it came from.

'How is he doing that?' They all wondered

He inserted his finger into the wound where it started to glow again. Moro could feel the ball moving, but was amazed when she felt no actual pain.

"I'm also heating the ball so that it will stop the bleeding as it exits as well."

As his finger got to the opening of the wound again the cuts he made began to expand slightly as the ball of iron left the wound.

"There we are." He said as he held the ball up for them to see. "Now to close the wound."

As he said this he retrieved some thread and a needle from nowhere once again. Holding them in his hand it proceeded to glow again, this time he used pure ki to sterilize the thread since heat would burn it. He then used his Kachü Tenshin Amaguriken to sew up the wound.

"There we go, I'll take off the nerve blocks when I take out the stitches."

"I thank you Ranma. I wish the rest of the humans were like you."

Ranma just blushed as he scratched the back of his neck.

"I've got more wounded to tend to back at the river, will you be in the forest in a couple of days?"

"Yes, we live in a cave in the forest."

"Very well, I will seek you out in a few days to remove the stitches and the nerve blocks. Farewell."

With a wave he left them in the clearing where the group was inspecting the wound that he just fixed up.

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

"AH, get them away!!" One of the men yelled frantically while staring at a little white-green, semi-transparent being sitting nearby.

"A Kodama?" Ranma whispers "Don't move, you'll worsen your wounds. They won't harm you, they're a sign that the forest is plentiful."

"These things call the Shishi-gami." The wounded man tells him.

"Shishi-gami? The large wolf?" Ranma asks

"No, it is something even more frightening, the chief of monsters. AAAAAH, it vanished!!"

The man continues to freak out when more appeared and one sat on Yakurru's saddle.

"Yakurru is unconcerned, and I sense no danger.

He then approached the one sitting on Yakurru and asks, "Hey there, would you grant us permission to pass through your forest?"

YYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY

Yakurru was carrying the conscious man, while Ranma was carrying the more wounded man.

"I beg you, let's go back!" The man says. "There's a path on the other side of the river, no one has ever left this forest alive!"

"The current is too strong to get you two across. Besides, if we don't hurry, your friend will die." 'And I have no wish for you to see my curse.'

As they walked through the forest, many Kodama appeared in front of them.

"Are you guiding us, or trying to make us lose our way?" Ranma asks in amusement.

"Sir, these things don't want us to return home! Oh my god they're everywhere!"

Many of the Kodama were walking into a large tree as they pass with more coming out of it.

"So that's your mother? What a splendid tree!"

They then approach a large pond in the middle of the forest. Ranma saw tracks in the soil. Surrounding a pond in the middle of the forest.

"That girl's footprints, and the wolves' as well. Can this be their domain?" he wondered. 'Water water stay away, don't come back on any day…' he thought frantically as beads of sweat appeared on his brow

"Sir, now for sure it's dangerous! The entrance to the other world is here."

"It seems like it doesn't it. Let's keep going." 'The less time around water, the better.'

They continue on never seeing the weird creature with what looks like multiple antlers gaze at them.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Ranma, Yakurru and the two wounded men emerged from the forest in view of Iron Town, _which is a huge island fortress on the other side of a lake. Smoke was running from the center of it, and the mountains around it were totally devoid of trees._

_"YAAAAA. You were right sir, we arrived at Iron Town." Kouroku exclaimed._

_'God this guy talks as much as that weirdo monk I met.' "It seems like a castle." Ranma replied. _

_"Yeah, it's Mistress Eboshi's Iron Town. The entire place is devoted to producing iron."_

_Ranma pulled the mask of his hood over his face. Two men of Iron Town, carriers waiting by their ferry boat on Ranma's side of the lake, saw his party approach._

_"_Hey, it's me, Kouroku, the cattle herdsman!"

JJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJ

News of Kouroku's return made it quickly to town.

"What Kouroku…."  
"You're sure it's not a ghost?"

"You're kidding….."

"Amazing!"

"Notify his wife!"

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

A number of Ishibiya troops, wearing yellowish-brown clothes, are lounging about and eating when the news about the arrival of their comrade (The other wounded man) arrives.

"No lie?"

"They're headed this way on boat right now!"

"Did you see his face for certain?"

NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN

"Eh what is it?! I'm writing right now, be quiet!" A bald stupid looking man yelled.

"Haven't you heard Gonza? Kouroku's come back from the dead!" A random worker said as he ran to the gate.

"WHAT?!?!"

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

Yakurru, who had to swim since he couldn't fit in the boat, got to shore first and shook himself off as villagers ran past him to get to the boat. When the boat finally made it to shore the people gathered around it and helped the injured to land.

"You're not a ghost are you?"

"What about the others?"

"There were two other men that fell!" The other herdsmen asked their comrade.

"We were the only ones who survived." He sorrowfully told them.

"It's always the cattle herdsmen that die, never the guards…." A woman with a basket on her head said.

"Clear the way!" Gonza told the people.

"Lord Gonza, who might that hooded man be?"

"I haven't seen the likes of him before…." He replied

At the shore, Ishibiya troops lift their wounded comrade out of the boat, while the cattle herdsmen handle Kouroku.

"Ishibiya troops! This man carried your comrade all the way here. Thank him! Ah, ow ow! Don't hold me there! OW ow." Kouroku told them.

One of the Ishibiya troops bows to Ranma which infuriates Gonza.

"Grrrrr, Hold it right there!" He said loudly as he walked to Ranma. "Firstly, I thank you for bringing us our wounded, but I'm not satisfied with the situation. You came within an hour after we arrived here. Furthermore, they say you carried a large man from the bottom of the valley, and came out of the Shishi-gami's forest."

He was going to continue interrogating the hooded man before him when he was suddenly interrupted.

"Kouroku, You're alive?!" Yelled a woman who was running down the path.

"Toki my love!"

As she got to him, she looked down at his leg for a moment before puffing up and glaring at him a little.

"A-a-a, you slouch! A cattle herdsman breaking a leg, how are we supposed to eat?!"

"But I couldn't help it."

"You make me worry all the time. You might as well have been eaten by the mountain dogs. Then I could find a better man!"

"Toki, please forgive me!"

Gonza has finally had enough. "Toki, can't you have your domestic quarrels somewhere else?"

"What makes you so great? Abandoning the wounded like that. What good are you as a guard? You haven't even pushed a bellow once in your life. You've got to risk your life in a crucial moment like that….."

"It couldn't be helped." He replied indignantly.

She then faced Ranma. "Thank you stranger, I'm glad you saved even that sort of husband!"

"That's good, I was beginning to think I had done something wrong by bringing him back." He says as he scratches the base of his head. 'Like that would be a first."

"Eh?..... Hahahaha. Hey, you must be a good-looking man, please let me see your face!

Before she could pull his mask off Eboshi appears with a group of people near the gate above. She looked first to the stranger, then to Gonza.

"Gonza, I'd like to thank him later on, guide our guest. Kouroku…." She said as she switched her gaze to him.

"Yes?" He sheepishly replied.

"It's good you came back safely. I'm sorry."

"Y-yes…"

Toki interjected with, "That's absurd, Eboshi-sama. This fool is just spoiled!"

"Toki, forgive me as well. It was shameful Since I was with him when this happened."

"Oh no, if it were just the men, about this time they'd all be settling down in peace and harmony inside a mountain dog's belly, and we'd all have to find new husbands!"

The women surrounding Eboshi had a good laugh at that one.

"Really!"  
"No mistake there!"

"Traveler be at ease and rest well." Eboshi said to Ranma as she left.

Ranma lowered his mask and bowed his head towards the departing Lady Eboshi. Toki then looked towards his face and all thought left her head. Ranma noticed the blank look and drool dribbling down her chin and waved a hand in front of her face.

"Hamina hamina…. "

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

That evening, after the gates of Iron Town are closed, the rice brought by Lady Eboshi's Caravan is being distributed to the townspeople.

Ranma was eating with the cattle herdsmen while a number of women were gathered at the door of the dining hall, peering in. All had looks of astonishment as Ranma deferred back to his normal eating habits.

"How can he eat like that?"  
"Where does it all go?"  
"Wonder what else that mouth can do…."

"Looks like that man appreciates food, I wonder if he'd like if I cooked for him."

"He's so young."

"Even though you don't care about stuff like a man's age….."

"Be quiet won't you? We're holding a wake for the dead here!" One of the men yelled at the girls. "As for good looking men, here are some too!" Yelled another.

"Well I don't see any. What cattle herdsmen?! A woman replied. "Hey traveler, why don't you come to our place? Don't stay in a stinking animal pen like this." Said another.

While Ranma tried to act like he didn't hear you could tell because he turned redder than a tomato.

"Ooooh, look at him blush, he must be innocent."  
"I'd like to corrupt him."  
"Come on down for some fun tonight stranger." The girls yelled out before heading off laughing all the way, leaving a frozen stiff martial artist with half of his chopsticks in hand and the other half in his stomach. Needless to say the men were laughing at his reaction. Ranma then fell over, passed out with a nosebleed, which just added to the volume of the laughter.

NNNNNNNNNNNNNNN

Later, in Eboshi's hall.

"Ranma or whatever your name is, sorry to keep you waiting." She said while inspecting a piece of metal. She then turned to Gonza and handed him the metal. "That's good iron. The preparation for the morning shipment takes time… Let's take a break, please tell everyone so." She said to a woman carrying a crate out the door.

"Yes ma'am" the lady replied and left the room as Eboshi turned back to Ranma.

"There are people who suspect you as an agent of the samurai or the Mononoke. There are many people who have set their sights on this Iron Town. Can you please tell me the reason for your journey?" she asked of him.

He took a pellet from seemingly nowhere and handed it to her. "Does this look familiar to you? It was taken from a giant boar god that turned into a Tatari-gami. It gave me this cursed scar that is killing me slowly, and I found another in the giant wolf."

She inspected it a bit before handing it back to him, watching as his hands go nowhere near his pouch on his belt but it disappeared anyways.

'Intriguing.' She thought. "What about your country? You ride a strange beast…"

"I come from near yet far, that's all I can tell you." The pigtailed martial artist replied.

This infuriated Gonza, but then is anyone really surprised? He looks like he needs more fiber in his diet.

"Bastard!! If you don't answer straightforwardly, I'll cut you down!!" he yelled at Ranma.

"Ha, as if you could. You're so slow with that thing that you wouldn't be able to touch me old man." Taunted Ranma.

Gonza then reared back as if he were about to swing his long sword at Ranma when Eboshi interjected.

"GONZA! Stop this foolishness at once!" she yelled at him before turning back to Ranma. "And what would you do, knowing the secret of that stone?"

This brought a baffled look to Ranma. He hadn't really thought about it. He knew that he was searching for the Shishi-gami to request that it lift his curse. Possibly even both curses if it will. But why search for the maker of the pellet?

"I don't know."

The two other occupants had to recover from a facefault for his answer.

"But is suppose that I would ask that the owner of this ball quit using them. They turn gods into demons and kill normal humans. Nothing good comes from the things. I come from a place where there are weapons similar to this and all they bring is death." He finished.

'Heh, he seems serious in his convictions.'

"Very well, I'll think this over traveler."

PPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP

After talking with Eboshi, Ranma wondered around the town. He was bored just walking around, but the only people he really knew were all so much older than him. He could always go visit the girls, but he shuddered at the thought of what they might do to him if he did. As he was walking he suddenly sensed something outside the village.

'San' he thought with a smile before running to greet her.

He caught up with her on the roof of one of the palace.

"San! What are you doing here?" he asked her.

"Onii-chan? What are you doing here?" She asked shocked at seeing here.

Ranma's eyebrow raised slightly at being called that.

"I'm trying to get them to stop using the guns. You didn't answer my question."

They heard someone yelling something in the distance but paid no attention to it as

San started to look very nervous, but she never got to answer as a cannon ball landed between them forcing them apart. As San rolled down towards the ground Ranma shook his head to regain his bearings. After composing himself he saw San roll off the edge of the building.

"Aim where she falls." Eboshi commanded a couple of women with guns.

**Bang Bang**

Ranma watched as San was shot at and saw her head fly back as a bullet hit her right in the face.

"no" Ranma whispered as despair started to build up inside him. "no" He whispered again as he turned away and tears started to come down his face. He kneeled down while a new emotion started to force its way into him. He began to succumb to this new emotion of rage as tendrils of phantom snakes started to emerge from his arm. As the phantom snakes writhed around him he starts to stand back up.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

After shaking her head to clear the ringing in her ears, San jumps into the air using Gonza's face as a launching board to jump over the rest of his men. As she caught up to Eboshi her blade met a sword and the people of the village circle her to keep her from escaping.

NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN

Gonza begins to stand back up while leaning on his sword for support.

"NOOOOOOOOOO!"

He and his men jump and look towards the scream to see Ranma floating down the roof covered in a flaming red aura with transparent snakes writhing everywhere around him.

Ranma sees a crowd circling around someone but he couldn't see who it was.

"Eboooooooshiiiiii" he said with rage

"You rascal...... I knew it, you must be a kind of Mononoke!! Halt." He foolishly tells him as he draws his sword.

"Out of the way." Ranma says as he holds his hand up to the sword still walking forward. Gonza was surprised when his sword started to melt as Ranma's hand touched it.

Both San and Eboshi pause in their fight blade to blade as they see what seems to be a moving bonfire heading towards them through the crowd

People parted like the Red Sea as the heat he generated was too much for them. When he finally made it to the center of the ring he saw San and Eboshi locked by blades. Instantly his aura died down but the tendrils stayed as he saw Eboshi still trying to kill his friend.

He was about to separate them when a bright light appeared between them slowly getting larger. Everybody was shocked and started to back up away from the light, except for Ranma who was only a few feet away. As he squinted his eyes he could make out what seemed to be a human figure in the light. When it finally died down he could see it was a human figure…. A female human figure…. A floating female human figure.

He started the standard elevator glance. (starting from the bottom and moving up)

She was wearing black boots with purple socks, blue jean capris (pants that cut off a few inches above the ankle) that were lowriders showing off her midriff, a red shirt with yellow borders that started at her rib cage and covered a generous rack, black fingerless gloves, and an orange bandanna on her head.

She's currently floating about a foot off the ground with her head thrown back, eyes shut, and hands in fists with arms straight and towards the back. She was positioned as if someone had a hold of her shirt, only there was nothing holding onto her shirt.

But the most notable thing to Ranma was not her bustline, but her aura.

'She's stronger than I am!' He thought to himself.

"Friend of foe?" He asks her.

She slowly lowered to the ground. As her feet touched down her head came up and her arms relaxed. When she opened her eyes they locked on with Ranma's.

"Oh I'm definitely a friend. Hi, I'm Son Pan."

* * *

So who guessed she was gonna show up? If you look at what i used for scene changes, it spells her name out.

Idecided this would be a good place to stop. I would've stopped a while ago but I wanted to pop her in this chappie. Wow, this is the longest one yet. Over 4000 words. Sorry it took so long, my dad moved us out to the sticks so I have no internet now.

**sheds a few tears**

I also have two jobs, although I'm quitting one this weekend. The one I'm keeping is unfortunately in the sticks on the other side of Dallas. So I drive in excess of 100 miles a day now… really sux. Plus, believe it or not, this hermit got a girl. So I get home in time to sleep and .. well, that's pretty much all I do at home now. Get home, go to sleep, wake up, morning routine, leave. Well, I hope you enjoy this chappie. I'm still working on my writing style so don't down it too much. Have fun all.


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